


I Don't Need A Genie For Love

by CrossGeneration



Series: Once Upon A Greek Myth.... [1]
Category: Heroes of Olympus - Fandom, Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-02-17 02:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2293361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrossGeneration/pseuds/CrossGeneration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason wants a chance to prove himself, be more than he already is. Nico wants to escape the bonds that hold him captive. Could these two finally have what they're looking for? Based on Aladdin... but not really... Cliche AU!Jasico. Don't like, don't read, people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jason smirked, knowing fully well that he wouldn't get caught again. He doesn't ever get caught. The excited whoops of his best friends caught his ears and with the whistling in the wind, he couldn't have made the world better. A small explosion, and Piper clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.

"Seriously Leo? A bomb?"

"But only a small one. And it's halfway across the town," he defended. The blonde laughed, his little scar seemingly dancing.

"C'mon guys. Let's hit the road. We can hang out on the red roof, and I successfully got us dinner." Moments later, the trio was on the said roof, and Jason had given Leo and Piper their share of the bread; he turned his head when he heard a whimper. Scared, brown eyes widened further when their gazes met, and the young girl scampered away, slightly whimpering in fear.

"Hey, it's okay," Jason's voice was soft and almost pleading. "Here, have some food." The girl hesitantly took it into her smaller, paler hands before she bashfully looked up at him while taking a bite. He smiled at her kindly; she briefly returned it and quickly fled from the scene. Leo groaned. "Man, this is why we have to keep stealing more, with you and your hero complex."

"I don't have a hero complex," Jason defended. "I was just helping someone in need."

The Hispanic made a frantic arm movement. "You mean, other than us?" Piper giggled as Jason rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

"I think your hero complex is cute." Jason huffed at this.

"I am most certainly not cute."

"Ittle wittle Jason just got called a cutie-pie. Does he need a hug?"

"Shut the hell up," his features a slight pink. "I'm not the one that hugs things when I'm asleep."

"H-hey. It's a natural tendency to cuddle when you're cold. Perfectly normal."

"Aww, does Leo need a warm hug?" The blonde replied in a teasing voice. "Fuck off," came the reply. The three friends laughed it off, the warmth of the sunset on their backs.

Meanwhile, a lithe figure clad in black silk paced his room in frustration and anger. But frustration, mostly. He started to mutter to himself: "Perché proprio a me, mi sento come se fossi in una prigione. Questo non è colpa mia, perché era mio padre Sultan? Cazzo segretario e sorella morta e la madre morta, perché sono ancora qui, ho ÉNED lasciare."

"Cazzo, I need to get out of here," he spoke to himself in an undertone, "I'm in a literal prison: high walls, no safe exits, watch day and night swarming over the place. Yes, much like a prince. With the joys of being practically chained to his room." There was a knock on the door and Nico di Angelo swiftly jumped onto his bed, pretending to not be planning to escape. Once again.

"Yes?"

"The Sultan asks for you to come and join him and Miss Persephone for dinner." A servant called behind the doors.

"Tell them I'm not hungry!" The teen yelled back. He shook his head before his thoughts got even more gloomy, depressed and nostalgic. He really wasn't in the mood to eat comfortably with his almost nonexistent father and soon-to-be stepmother.

"Yes, sir."

As the footsteps down the halls scurried away until they were nothing but silence, the son of Hades soon paced his floor again. "Now, how am I going to escape these walls? I can't climb without being caught, and it's not like I can fly or dig my way out of he-" he stopped mid-sentence. "I can shadowtravel out of here. Why was I such an idiot?" The pale teen mentally smacked himself and wondered why the thought hadn't come to him earlier; well, this was the first time that he really wanted to flee the walls for another place, and the only time he took himself seriously.

He hastily looked around the room or thing that he might need for his ongoing journey. He needed a weapon, and a disguise, not his normal clothes. He looked at his toga-like clothes. He smirked. "Goodbye dresses, my gods."

He quickly changed into a thin shirt, trousers, and took off his shoes, walking around barefooted. He was use to walking around the palace barefooted sometimes as a mean of defiance. He nearly jumped out of his skin when another knock came from the door.

"Your father clearly wants you to join him at the dinner table. Why don't you?" Nico could almost hear the sneer in the voice.

"I thought I already conveyed the message," he growled lowly, "I'm not hungry."

"Nico, you can't shut yourself inside your room all day. You need some company."

"Just watch me, Octavian! If you really have nothing else to do, join your kin, the pigs!" The offender huffed indignantly and Nico's thin lips curved into a grin with the satisfaction. Now where was he?

Disguise. Something to hide his face and, obviously, his weapon on choice. A black cloak would suffice. He grabbed the material and draped it over his shoulders, then attaching the belt to his loose trousers and attaching his sword to his belt. He looked at himself through the mirror. He couldn't see his normal self; no stick-skinny limbs or flowing black toga which made him trip with it's size. Oh and one more thing; he quickly cut a strip from his cloth shirt and made a little ring with it. He pulled his shoulder-length hair up and pulled it into a small, messy ponytail. Done.

He closed his eyes and thought of the gates outside, viewed perfectly in his mind as they were seen daily outside of his only window. Which, naturally, had wire over it to keep him from 'falling out' (aka leaving). He felt a whoosh over his body as he found himself right outside the gates, his back to the fancily bent metal of intricate loops and designs.

Pulling the cloak's hood over his head and being certain that his face was mainly concealed with shadow, he took off, the setting sun warming his back in compliment of his jailbreak. Now all he had to do was stay missing forever.

Jason woke up to shouting. Well, it was more of chatter that consisted of everyone on the street talking to one another but when you grow up in the street as a thief, you can't help but think that everything related to opening your mouth with sound coming out of it was screaming. Especially a stall owner's voice.

He cautiously edged down the roof and peered over the edge, running a hand through his blonde hair. Something seemed to be up. A brunette ran to his mother and excitedly jumped up and down, waving energetically with his hands. Those kind of family scenes always made Jason frown; he himself couldn't remember anything about his childhood, but he usually laughed it off. The frown slipped off his face to make way to a curious 'O'.

"Mommy! Is it true? Is it true that the Sultan's son went missing? The creepy dude?" The mother shushed him, but Jason couldn't help but see the playful glint in her dark-colored eyes.

"Shh! What if someone hears? You're going to be in big trouble," the mother explained and continued to hang the still-wet clothes. The boy frowned.

"But it's true. And you always tell me, 'no matter how much the truth hurts, it's best to tell it'! Mommy," he shook clung to her leg to get her attention. Jason sneezed and quickly left the scene to avoid any unwanted attention. The blonde wondered if there was a time in his lifetime like that- he couldn't dwell too much on that fact because he had to juggle his friendships, survival methods, and amnesia.

He looked at the newly risen sun and squinted as he remember the conversation from the night before. Piper had said that she was going to visit her father, a wealthy man from another country, and Leo had went to the mechanic shop to look for a decent job. He's bound to get it, Jason thought dismissively, he builds his own bombs. Now he only needed to get a stall to grab some food from...

Nico grinned. He was quite enjoying the free time and lost burden from his shoulders of being Sultan's son. Out in the streets, he was a nobody, just a slightly ominous nobody in a cloak. He strolled past several dark alleys and immediately decided that this was the not-so-well part of the neighborhood; cracked walls over time, dust and sand blowing aimlessly through the streets and people who were looking for an opportunity to live. In other words, money. He doubled his pace, not wanting to get caught with a gang of tough-looking men, towering over him and with the strength to break his arm like a toothpick, probably. Shadowtraveling would instantly give him away, if his appearance didn't, so that was a big no-no. His weapon was off limits unless he was in dire need of it- not that he did most of the time.

He turned the corner when a strong grip held his forearm, pulled it out of his cloak, and swung him over so he faced the ringleader. His breath smelled of foul alcohol as he bent down to jeeringly talk next to Nico's hood.

"My, what have we got here?"

"Looks like a chick, if I'm correct," another taunting voice called out from the other half-dozen. There were seven, and all crowded to one side, and three who aren't concentrated on this. So he could distract one while fighting off two, max, and hope he'd get lucky on the fourth one. He cursed under his breath. "What'd you say?" The pale teen tried to deepen and strengthen his voice into an adult's when he replied; a trick that he learned when watching his father confer with ambassadors from the neighboring regions.

"I'm not a chick, if you can clearly think." Suddenly, his cloak was pulled back and a meaty hand pulled his chin up to stare into one of their eyes. He set his jaw defiantly.

"Well, certainly not a chick, but we could do with you."

"Let's see if he has some -" silence and tension was high in the air as Nico spit into the gang leader's face. The effect was instantaneous.

"Why you little-" Using the gang leader's anger to his advantage, he put all his weight into the thrust and punched him as hard as he could in the gut. In a split second, the Sultan's son slammed the side of his hand onto the man's ear. The tall man staggered a bit before coming to realize what had happened. However, that gave Nico enough time to dodge the rest of them and quickly flee to a nearby staircase leading to the roof of a building.

"Red snake!" And without looking back, the teen could tell that everyone had come tumbling after him, eager to beat him up. A quick check made sure that his sword was there, but for now, he could stick to running away. His nimble footsteps gave way to heaving pounding almost equivalent to a stampede. His eyes scanned the nearby roofs and walls for an escape route: there!

An open window with a supporting beam next to it with a wire that probably held his weight. If done right, he could use the cloak to slide down the wire, kick the pole, and slide into the window. Inspecting the surrounding buildings, he could guess that it wasn't a house. Oh well, luck of the draw. He quickly but efficiently slid down the wire. He looked down and swallowed. The height made him dizzy and he saw two teen girls look up at the racket. He simply hoped that he wouldn't be recognized.

Nico almost slammed into the pole when he kicked with all of his weight and easily slid his thin frame into the open space. A gang member cursed as he quickly started to make his way down the building and up and onto the next building, where the forge was located.

Two figure stood gaping at the newcomer. Some customers held grand entrances, but this was like none seen before. Looking around the room and hearing the heavy footsteps of the gang members. The pleading look in his eyes made a short Hispanic open a closet door and waved impatiently with his hand. He rolled his large eyes while his brown curls bounced around his elvish ears.

"Well, you getting in or not?"

With a nod of gratitude, Nico snuck inside the forge's closet, forcing himself to become nothing more than a small, tight bundle of nerves, ready to bolt. The other girl who he saw brandishing a hammer, who was hardly older than himself, was heard through the closet door. Nico closed his eyes and imagined her cocoa-colored skin and large lips pursed in annoyance.

"This is a business, and we are a forge, which is a place dealing with weapons and metals and fire. If you're not going to be careful, I'll be more than glad to knock your head on properly with a hammer." Nico gulped and grinned. The hammer that had briefly passed over his view looked extremely heavy and fatal. "Now git, before I have to convince you to do it!" Whistling was heard, and the Sultan's son was pretty sure that it came from the Latino.

When the footsteps were clearly gone, the Sultan's heir sighed and tried to open the door, but it was opened as it leaned forward so he tumbled on top of the Latino that had helped conceal him. They gracelessly crashed onto the hard wooden floor and looked like they played a hopeless game of Twister. The girl chuckled in amusement, and helped the two up which almost sent the two sprawling again.

"Yea, now you can be on your way. Those gangs annoy the hell out of me, but soon, I'll have to kick you out soon." Nico lifted his head from the ground and thanked them earnestly, nodding his head slightly with the words. But her next words almost made Nico's heart stop. "Hey, you look familiar."

"I was thinking the same thing," Leo nodded his head and thought for a bit. "Are you from these areas?" The prince's heart pounded.

"Uh, not so far out, but pretty far from here, but I don't think I've met you two before. Anyways, bye," and he fled the scene, quickly submerging himself into the crowd a couple streets down. The different stall owners shouted objects and prices, projects and sales. The bright lights and loud yelling and constant chatter of the street gave him a pounding headache, but he had to get through this section to earn some peace and quiet, and Nico believed that he deserved that mu- Something wrapped around his legs on accident, and he looked down at his bare feet.

Brown eyes identical to his met his and his breath escaped him. There was no way that this small, skinny girl was Bianca, but the features were the same: pale face slightly tanned with freckles splashed against her cheeks and nose, pale red lips and large, brown eyes. Those eyes looked as if they belonged to an adult, not a simply child. Nico crouched down on one knee and gently faced the girl.

"Hey, what's your name?" Bianca- no, not your sister, he corrected himself- shrugged and her cheeks grew red when her stomach growled. Not-Bianca looked away but he whispered to her. "I'll get you some bread," as he had spied a stall on the other side of the street. "Just keep out of sight."

Nico knew that if he shadowtraveled, then his disguise would not be effective and those around him would immediately know. So he would have to do with stealth. Using the crowd as an advantage, he waiting until he was immediately adjacent to the bread cart, and pretended to be interested in some scarves in the stall next to it.

Nico eyed the bread pile with his peripheral vision, and reached his hand for one to give the little girl. Her wide, chocolate-brown eyes called for help, silent pleas that could only make him think, 'Was that how Bianca looked when she died?' He picked up the loaf, but felt another force tug it the other way. His eyes shot up in surprise, and deep, dark almost-black brown eyes met electric sky-blue ones.


	2. Chapter 2

The two seemed to be stuck in a trance, watching for movement from the other. Jason's blonde hair swept to the side in the dry, desert wind, and the dark cloak around the shorter teen's body clung tighter to his side. The only thing that awoke them from the daze was the shopkeeper's loud cry:

"Thieves! Right here! Police!" Nico's eyes darted from side to side, and his heart filled with relief when she wasn't to be seen. Good, he thought. Then his second thought was 'Wait, I'm the one in trouble.'

"Di immortales," he muttered under his breath, and his gaze went over to the incoming law enforcers whom he was all too familiar with. If they saw him... 'all is lost,' the pale teen thought, quoting his favorite poet. However, they were mainly looking at the blonde he had made contact with; the stranger had tried to run but met with a dead end,or, more specifically, a row of tall carts. His eyes scanned for the nearest possible exit for his soon-to-be escape. His eyes caught a specific place, and he shadow-traveled away.

Meanwhile, the blonde's eyes were pacing from left to right, also looking for an exit as well as counting the number of guards. About a dozen. Jason cursed under his breath before gracelessly jumping over the wooden blockade and running off to a side alley, only hoping that there wasn't another dead end. There wasn't. He kept running, the adrenaline running through his veins as he tried to specify what part of town he was in. Suddenly, he felt a hand yank him into a dark, narrow path way that was hidden by a drying towel of one of the neighbors. It was hanging on a wire, which Jason saw, was connected to a roof close by to his familiar hideout. He opened his mouth to thank to mysterious person, but he was dragged down by his vest. The blonde's hands splayed against the wall for support with sudden lack of balance.

"Shh. They're still coming," a quiet but authorizing voice whispered into his ear. They waited until the footsteps and angry shouts were gone, mainly consisting of: "Grace, come out you filthy rat!" Jason then realized how close they were; the alley they were in had barely enough room for one person, much less two, and Jason had shoulder. They slowly stepped out into the open, the sunlight hitting their eyes.

"Well, thanks. You saved my golden arse that time," Jason took a closer look at the skinny teen. Pale, almost alabaster skin on a skeletal frame although the cloak hid much; almost perfectly circular dark brown eyes slightly covered by thick lashes and even thicker bangs. His hair, pulled into a messy ponytail, slightly curled out at the ends. There was a knowing look in his eyes and a haunted expression added with a slight slouch to his body; he was clearly more than a head shorter than Jason's height. The teen gave a little snort.

"I'm pretty sure your arse isn't golden."

"Well, you haven't checked, have you?" Jason grinned while a thin eyebrow went up in question.

"Are you asking me to?" The blonde had the decency to blush while he grinned a bit. "So what's your name?"

"Are you going to tell the royal guards?" Now it was the taller boy's turn to raise an eyebrow, although this time he had a grin on his face. Nico held out his hand.

"Only if you don't," with that statement, they mutually shook on it like a closed trade.

"Jason Grace," Nico's mind whirled for a fake name, "orphan, living on the streets, dirty rat for nothing, thief boy. Don't remember anything before this year." He smiled some of his teeth showing. Nico snorted again.

"Perseus 'Percy' Jackson, and I didn't want your life story."

"Too bad. Now it's only fair that you tell me yours."

"Dead mother and sister, practically nonexistent father, with nothing to do. Uh, grew up on the border; my father's a translator," he said quickly. "And he, um, helps visitors." He does help visitors, and he translates for himself. Not a lie, Nico almost smiled to himself. Almost.

"Hmm. I'd say sorry, but I don't know you very well. Well, what's your favorite color."

"Uh, g-green..." he had never admitted to anyone. Well, nobody had asked. A painful image came to mind, green and red, green and red. He pushed it away. "What's yours?" (Just simply etiquette. He was forced to dine with his stepmother's guests, after all, for an appallingly long time.)

"Blue or purple. I never really thought about it."

"Never did I."

"So," Jason started to climb using lines cast down the side of the buildings and put his feet on the wall for leverage, making sure that this Percy Jackson was following him. "Crush?"

Nico nearly fell off the side of the adobe wall. "What? W-what makes you say I have one?"

"Ugh, fine. Age?"

"Umm, fifteen?"

"What the-" The blonde's jaw hung open as he stopped and helped the other onto the roof. "I thought you were like, twelve?"

"Shut up!" 'That's a nice look on him,' Jason thought before shaking his head to clear of it. He could not seriously be crushing on Percy Jackson, a person he had just met. They continued to talk before the blonde suddenly stood up, waving his arms as if greeting someone behind the shorter teen.

"Oh, hey Leo!" Nico turned to face the Hispanic he had met earlier at the forge. The one who had helped hide him. "How'd the job go?"

"Really well. They almost immediately hired me after I showed them that I could assemble a bomb. They're kinda impressed and scared now."

"Cool, hey, meet Percy Jackson. New kid on the streets, and he helped me get away from the royals gits." The now mechanic's eyes turned to the younger one and saw that it was the same pale teen that he had helped hide inside of the closet that day. But that wasn't what made him blink his eyes in confusion.

"Percy Jackson? But-"

"Oh, you're the kid that helped me earlier!" Nico's voice rose to an outside tone when he addressed the Latino. If this person had, by any chance, knew Percy, he was screwed.

"Yea, I was." Leo knew was pretty sure that there was only one Percy Jackson in the region, and he was gone from the face of the earth; from the pleading look in his eyes that the pale boy had something big to hide. So he'll humor him, at least for now. "So, how did you, Percy Jackson, come to jump into Hephaestus's forge from the window and hide in one of our closets?"

"Oh, I was chased." He sighed with relief when his identity wasn't brought into question. "I don't know who. Just a group of seven, who yelled red snake." Both orphan's widened their eyes. "What?"

"They're like the toughest gang in the southern area," Jason explained.

Leo spoke up too, a giddy smile coming up on his face. "Yea, what the hell did you do to anger them?"

"Um, I kinda, spit in the gang leader's face..."

"Damn, dude Jason and I almost didn't make it when he accused us of stealing his girl."

"What?"

"Well, Leo and I were trying to get Piper's attention, another person who's usually with us, but he was trying to pick her up or something," he carefully streaked his eyes over Nico with a new admiration. "You must fight well then."

"Um, not to a 'well' extent." There was a moment of awkward silence before Leo spoke up, his face practically glowing like a Christmas tree. Jason gulped at the coming 'excellent idea' from his best friend.

"You two should duel!"


	3. Chapter 3

Two teens stood at opposite ends of the roof. A dry, humorless air nipped at their clothes and a tense silence hung in the air. A third body, slightly off to the side, yelled the start: "Begin!"

It wasn't long before Nico and Jason were in an engaged battle. Nico's lithe and smaller body jabbed and dodged, Jason's more heavy-set body whirling and aiming for a direct offense. Jason aimed a soft fist for the shorter teen's shoulder. But it met with no resistance, forcing him to topple slightly forward and lose his balance. Suddenly, he felt something push his legs aside as his body fell sideways. He instinctively covered the ground with his hands and flipped himself so he fell on his back.

He smiled before he got up and faced the indifferent teen, but he could detect a hint of smugness underneath it all. The Latino, who had started to laugh, couldn't stop from clutching his sides.

"Oh shut up," Jason muttered a slight punk tinge to his cheeks. "It's not like you could fight him."

"True that." Leo brushed his eye with his thin, nimble fingers.

"So where'd you learn those moves?" Jason looked back to Nico was staring at the distant horizon, brows furrowed deep in thought. The warm colors seemed to reflect off of his pale face.

"Huh?"

"Where'd you learn those moves?" Jason repeated. He wondered what Percy was thinking so deeply about.

"Oh, uh, my father."

"A translator?"

"Well, he use to box," Nico supplied with information, "and it's good to learn a method of self-defense or two, especially with an annoying prick that wants to be Sultan is bothering you 24/7."

"Sultan?" Leo's eyes grow wide.

"My neighbor." The words, thankfully, rolled smoothly over his tongue.

"Hey, anyone could be Sultan. You could probably be Sultan, too." Nico visibly gulped at this put Jason didn't seem to catch it. "Well, anybody except Leo."

"What's wrong with this?" At the last word, the Hispanic motioned to his body.

"Nothing, because you don't have anything," Nico replied calmly.

Jason snorted. "People'll probably just pass by and think you're a broomstick."

"You've even got the hair," Nico retorted again.

"Jason, I thought you were my friend." Leo put a hand over his heart, feigning hurt.

"That doesn't mean the truth is all cuddles and hugs," the blonde laughed. Nico, seeing this exchange, quickly turned his expression into one of indifference before he let the others know.

"Thanks for this and all, but I better get going," he excused himself and turned around to leave when the other two stopped him.

"Man, where'ya going? I mean, where? You late for a hot date or something?"

"Where do you live? Leo and I'll accompany you if the Red Snake try to chase after you again," he grinned widely.

"I-I'm not going anywhere in particular," the teen confessed.

"Then stay with us, Percy. You're a pretty good fighter, and Piper'll let you join. We could use your help." The Latino elbowed Jason in the sides.

"Are you sure you aren't gonna lose your job because of him?"

"Job?" Nico echoed in curiosity and a bit of confusion.

"Well," Leo started, "I'm the smart mechanic guy, Pipes is the distraction, and Superman here (Jason winced at the nickname) is our main thief and fighter. Now that you've beaten him," he laughed. Jason turned a slight pink.

"Stop calling me Superman..." Suddenly, a cry came from the street below them. Citizens were bustling around with their everyday chores, and few looked at the newsboy.

"Big new, big news! Get it here! Sultan's son goes missing! Suitor comes to town! Missing prince! Big news, get it right here!" Nico's breath hastened and his pulse raced, much like a trapped rabbit's. Then, a second cry:

"Move for his highness! Coming through. Move, ya scumbags!" Octavian's voice came as an insult to his ears. Leo leaned over the edge and yelled back.

"Who's the scumbag, you dolt! Your mother probably still washes your pretty palace hair for you!" and withdrew before one of the royal guards could identify him. "He's such an annoying prick."

"You should see him in the palace. He looks like a rooster," and the other two gave him, once again, curious glances. "Translator," he quickly reminded them. They nodded.

"So, you think we should look for this 'prince' dude? He sounds like a lot of moolas." The mechanic rubbed his calloused hands together. Nico didn't know whether to be offended, flattered, or amused.

"Sure does," he agreed. Jason look at him. "What?"

"Um, nothing." The blonde, in turn, thought that something was up, but he couldn't put his finger on it. A man strode down the streets with a dozen bodyguards around him, and his grey hair could be seen clearly from the roof. He heard Percy intake a lengthy breath.

"Oh great. It's Zeus."

"Who?" Jason asked while Leo said: "The thunder guy?"

"Yea, only the king of the entire region, including the provinces! What is he doing here? Trade? The language should be the same so, it could be fine... But the gold transaction finished last week, and the pirates were driven away by Triton's realm, so why is he-" he stopped mid-sentence, failing to notice the other teen's eyes on him. "Oh no, no, no, no, no... Not the-" He grabbed the blonde's hand who was too curious and too shocked too blush.

"Hey, what're you doing? Where're we going?"

"We're getting out of here." Leo yelled after them.

"You guys go ahead, I'll get dinner!" and scampered down the roof. "Well, then I guess we can take the easy way out of this," and Jason flipped 'Percy' into his arms, bridal-style, and jumped off the roof. Nico meeped in surprise and hung tightly to Jason, and literally, on for life. They flew across a third way across the town and dropped on top of the roof of a building that looked deserted.

"J-jason!" Nico wriggled out of the blonde's strong grasp and dropped onto the floor, giving him a glare that matched death's. "Don't ever do that again."

"Sorry," Jason lowered his gaze and scratched his head to hide his smile.

"So, where are we?" Nico kicked a rock over the adobe edge. Blue eyes lit up before he went over to one of the corners, where the roof had caved in. "C'mon, I'll show you around."

"Sorry, it isn't much of a romantic date," Jason apologized jokingly. There were blankets- probably stolen, Nico thought- in one corner next to a small pile of food that they had probably stocked up on for emergencies. The blonde's 'home' seemed to be all that he had, aside from the clothes on his back and his friends. It was a pitiful life but one that Nico would trade his for. An open segment of the wall, a window if you must, wasn't barred, and gave view to most of the city, and the magnificent palace. The Sultan's son jumped when he felt a warm breath on his ear and a deep, wishing voice.

"This is all I've had ever since I could remember. Well, besides Leo and Piper's friendship. Maybe it's all I'll ever have in my life." His eyes held a nostalgic tone.

"But," Nico countered back, "wouldn't it be better to live free than caged inside like some beast? Like some animal that is going to be slaughtered? You have freedom. You have the city. You have a choice." He stressed the last word out. The pale teen thought that he went to far and crossed his fingers that this Jason wouldn'y figure out that he wasn't who he said he was and that he was lying and that he would be hated by another good person, yet again. Just like a wild animal. The blonde, instead, gave him a curious look, and pondered the argument against his own opinions. In either of their views, the future was a bland, white sheet of paper. Nothing eccentric. Nothing to live for.

"That's true. But I want to live another life. I want to-"

"-experience something that you haven't. You want to be given a chance for a change."

They smiled at each other warmly, and noticed subconsciously that the teen sitting in front of them was the only other in their entire lives that felt as they did. And they embraced the common viewpoint.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a perfect day. Well, it felt like it was to the tall blonde. They had successfully gotten food from different markets without any of the stall owners to notice anything, and it was quite an amount of food. Piper had come back from her trip to her father's and met Percy, declaring him a "cute little fuzzball who knew how to fight". Well, the short, pale teen had given her a wary look but she squealed and squeezed him close to death; so Percy had made a good impression on her.

The day would've been completely perfect, if not a shocking truth come to him, in the form of a short Hispanic he had considered his friend for years. They had crashed for the night, and Piper had gone back to her father's declaring that he will notify the guards of the city (and his own, of course) that she had gone missing. And so it was the guys' night out, and they laid out at their home. Percy had wrapped himself in his cloak and slept peacefully, and his body wasn't tense; it was a miracle what sleep did to people. His silent breaths moved his chest and the moonlight cast a mysterious and beautiful aura around him. Jason himself was getting ready to sleep when he heard his friend address him.

"You know, Jason. I don't know who he is, but I don't think you should trust him."

"What? He's Percy, Percy Jackson." The blonde raised and eyebrow and scoffed in disbelief. "He helped us today. Nobody does that. It's usually just us, and Piper."

"No, Leo sat up, and his face was completely serious. The cool and casual joker was gone; instead was a person who reminded Jason of a bringer of truth, no matter how grave and saddening the truth may be. "That's not what I'm saying. He doesn't trust us. And he's not Percy."

"Then who is he?"

"I don't know. That's the problem." The blonde scoffed again.

"You're delusional." Suddenly, the curly-haired teen shuffled around, yet not loud enough to wake Percy, and pulled out a piece of paper- something so expensive that it was almost rare. On the ripped sheet was a title of 'EXECUTION: PERCY JACKSON' and a more descriptive chain of words underneath a picture of a tall white male, with brown hair, sea-green eyes, and a charming smile. This was not the person who was sleeping in front of them. Light blue eyes met chocolate brown in misunderstanding.

"M-maybe they have the same name?" He offered weakly. But he himself knew that the chances of a person having the same name in the little town was extremely close to zero.

"I knew him," Leo replied in a sad tone. "I knew Percy. He was a great friend, as we traveled the streets together, looting and whatnot until he got a job offer. At the palace. Something about being a personal servant. Said he passed all the requirements."

"At the palace?" Jason asked in almost disbelief. Simultaneously, they looked at the sleeping teen and the blonde sighed. "I don't know what to believe. Let's just leave this for the morning, huh?" Leo nodded and together, they dozed off into the dark, dark night.

Leo had gone to work. Piper wasn't allowed to leave her father's place. So it was, once again, just Jason and Percy. Or whoever he was. As evidence against the shorter teen's 'identity', the blonde had kept the scrap of paper with him, the ripped piece of parchment seeming a little too heavy on him as he traveled with this 'Percy' next to him. Jason had trusted him. Now, he didn't know what to do with that trust.

They were in a deserted alley with the sun beating down on them, when it came up.

"Percy," he called and the pale teen looked at him, with a curious glint in his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"What's your real name?"

"What?"

The blonde gave him a look that radiated dominance and distrust. "What is your real name? I know that you're not Percy Jackson. There's no way you could be." The wide brown eyes narrowed slightly, but right before they looked away, Jason swore that he saw a distant pain clearly there. But he couldn't let his feelings get int he way; there was a stranger in front of him, a stranger that he had shown his home to and his secrets to. "So who are you?"

"There's no way I could be him, huh? Because he was so great, and nobody wants to see the little scrawny kid behind him. The one who doesn't know anything because he always depends on his sister. I just radiate a sinister aura, huh? I can't do anything good in my life, can't I? Well, mister, not everyone can be like you or him and I'm so sorry that I'm not deserving of my title, why don't you strip me of it?" His usually quiet voice grew even quieter, yet deadlier. The pale teen looked away and hugged his elbows, the desert wind making his black cape billow around him like a barricade of protection around him. "I can't do anything. Why do you think I left, huh? Jason Grace, why do you think I want to be caged with rumors flying and everybody judging and that stupid title which makes everyone..." He took a steadying breath and seemed to collapse within himself.

"N-no, that's not what I meant," Jason hurried to clear the misunderstanding. "All I'm telling you is that I can't trust you if you don't trust me."

"Well, I can't trust anyone because they'll kill me or cage me like another animal!" Nico's shout made the blonde's curiosity and pity grow. The blue eyes softened as well as his tone and voice.

"Then why don't you tell me your real name?"

"You won't know it. You won't know me." Nico stood his ground, wanting to be as stubborn as a mule.

"Why do you think I'm asking it?"

"You would know what people call me. But you won't know my real name because people don't ever say it."

"What is it?" Jason looked at the shorter teen and held his gaze. "It's not Percy Jackson."

"How do you know it's not?"

The blonde sighed, not allowing his frustration to show. Instead, he pulled out the evidence, the ripped parchment, and showed it to the impostor. The headline shone out as if it were highlighted and the words were read easily by Nico, yet the truth was hard to comprehend in his head. One part of the text stuck out the most, thought: 'Octavian of the upper, royal scribe of the Sultan, has declared that the prisoner had forced inappropriate acts upon the prince himself, at a very young age. Manipulating the young 'Ghost Prince', he has earned his way into the palace system and even attempted to assault the son of Sultan. He was genuinely glad for the prince's sake that this Percy Jackson was caught in the act before he could do anymore harm.'

"E-executed?"

"Yea. I didn't know him, but I heard that he was a pretty decent guy," the blonde put the parchment away and was completely surprised to see that the doe-like brown eyes were watering. The pale teen shut them and turned suddenly, almost as if rejecting Jason in a harsh way.

"Octavian... I'll kill him. That lying rodent, I'll spear him with his own spatha if I have to. It might as well be the last thing I do, that little. Percy did not... Augh." He kicked at the ground and cursed Octavian's name with a guttural cry as Jason did little to stop him. It was his first time seeing the stranger go into a fit and become angry, but it was a pretty scary sight. The ground rumbled and the blonde felt the sand and dirt underneath his feet shift as the dark-haired teen continued to go on his rampage.

"Woah, calm down."

"He was executed! He didn't do anything! It was all my fault! Why couldn't it have been me instead...?" The tears fell, but as soon as they started, the brown eyes closed for fear of showing a wide range of weakness to the blonde.

For a second time, Jason replied: "Calm down. Even if you curse at him here, it wouldn't do much, would it?" He held Nico's wrists at a reasonable height and his silent sobs racked his body.

"I-it should've been m-me..."

"No."

"In order of the royal guards, surrender yourself!" With too much experience with this kind of situation, the blonde immediately turned slowly and smiled charmingly; "Now, what have I do to offend you gentlemen?"

"Surrender! In the name of the royal guards, and the Sultan!" Slowly, Jason put his hands up, covertly looking for a way out of the alley. Nada. They were sealed shut with the guards in front of them. "You, in the black cape! Put your hands up!"

The head guard brandished his spear threateningly at them, and continued to demand that 'Percy' (Jason really didn't know what to call him now) raise his hands in surrender. Then, in a quiet voice, the dark-haired teen answered them directly, walking slowly so that he was between the head guard's spear and Jason. The blonde felt like yelling at him and screaming for him to go back, but could only make a small sigh. Sometimes, everyone was a little bit of an idiot at time. The point of the spear reflected off the sunlight and shone in Jason's eyes, momentarily blinding them.

"You don't want to see me angry," the quiet voice said. The hood of the cape was drawn back and the spears dropped suddenly.

"I-It's di A-Angelo," the head guard looked at them warily and the blonde looked in amusement, curiosity, and awe at the smaller figure in front of him. Who was he, really? Then a growl. "Your father's looking for you, immensely. You should go back to the palace."

"What if I refuse?" A thin eyebrow went up and Jason could hear the silent rage boiling under the pale skin that didn't seem to tan, even under influence of the sun. "Will you use force? Against me?"

"If it's necessary, then yes. It is orders to take you back, Angelo. Now, will you be a little angel for us and walk back?" A murmur and a several chuckles arose in the mall crowd behind of head guard.

"Now, who's orders will it be?"

"Octavian's. And as the high scholar of the royal Sultan, he ranks above you. Get your rump in place, brat." The tall guard talking spat in front of Percy's feet. The quiet chattering died down immediately, and the blonde was left to understanding nothing, in the dust. "I'm tired of your crappy attitude. Just because of your father, you get all cocky. Now's the time to teach a little runt like you what manners are."

"Speaking of manners," the blonde perked up, putting his hands casually in his pockets and leaning against the wall, "that wasn't very nice."

"Shut it, rat. This place's like a sewer 'cause of people like you. Grace, was it? And with that dirty orphan and the whore. Looks like you, Angelo, have finally found your place." The blonde's eyes turned a stormy blue at the mention of Leo and Piper, but stayed in his place at the little wave of the shorter teen's hand behind his back.

"I refuse. I do not think that Octavian has any right over my well-being, as stated in the Code of Laws that any child over thirteen has charge of his own well-being. And that another child cannot take claim over him. Especially one who ranks above him. Oh, and it explains that the guards are there to serve the palace staff and royal family, not terrorize them," the pale teen's voice grew smaller yet deadlier.

"Why you little-"

"No need to be repetitive," Nico met the head guard's eyes, a good foot above his own, but his shoulders were squared and every inch of him radiated authority. Jason was shocked at the change, but didn't entirely not welcome it in the circumstances. The eye contact ensured, building up some more tension. "So you and Octavian can go and fuck yourselves. Or fuck each other, which ever way you roll."

Nico easily dodged the lunge that the guard tried to catch him with and grinned at the vein threatening to pop on his forehead. He twirled and grabbed Jason's arm with one hand, outstretching the other ones to the shadows. With an unspoken command, the two disappeared from the scene, leaving only the swirling dust as a witness.


	5. Chapter 5

Jason was catching his breath as the world spun around him at an amazingly accelerated rate. It shouldn't have even been possible for the world to spin that fast. But it did. And everything was in shades of yellow and green; was it supposed to be like that? Through his self-suffering, a comforting voice reached out to him.

"Grace. Grace.  _Jason._  Breathe. In and out. It's not hard. Sorry 'bout that."

"A-a little," the blonde caught his breathe and uncurled from the ground, looking at the dark and deep eyes in front of his own, "warning beforehand would've been nice?"

Nico sighed after he made sure that both he and Jason were alright. He himself, for a person extremely out of practice, was pretty good at traveling long distances. Jason on the other hand... His eyes trailed over to the blonde who was resting his back against the wall; at least his physique helped him catch his breath quickly. "Okay. What the hell was that?"

"Uh," Nico felt at a loss of words suddenly. What did he call it? "Shadowtraveling."

"What?"

"Okay. So like how you manipulate air and the wind around you? I can bend shadows and travel through them, but I need a specific destination in mind to do it. I haven't done it in a while, so I may be out of shape."

"Just... Warning? Please?" The blonde pouted (Jason would argue that point) and the two of them settled into a calm, elapsed silence until Jason, once again, spoke up but in a more serious tone. "What's your name? And what do you have to do with the royal family? The guards know you?"

Nico stayed stubbornly silent until the blonde stood up and cornered him against the wall, pinning him with his arms on either side of the shorter teen. He leaned in and his next words were a faint whisper as the flush on Nico's cheeks grew. "You know, I can't trust you if you don't trust me."

"N-Nico..." It took a while for Jason to catch on.

"Nico? Di Angelo?" The said teen nodded and looked to the side, his bangs falling into his eyes, and the blush contrasting his pale skin. Jason loved the way it rolled over his tongue, like a foreign language that he unconsciously knows how to speak. "Nico."

Suddenly, the blue-eyed teen drew away, grabbing a moment to calm his racing heart. The next question that he asked wasn't as 'passionate', so to say, as the last one and Nico felt both relieved and frustrated at the same time. He wanted- needed- the close contact, but contact scared him, like how an animal were paralyzed in fear. "Are you from the palace?" Nico nodded.

"I-I, my father's a translator at the palace. So I live there. I'm an apprentice."

"Under who? For what?"

"Uh, a lot of things. Mainly language and the arts, though."

"Art?" Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't take you for an art person."

"Martial arts."

"Oh." Well that, at least, made sense.

They elapsed into an awkward silence. Until Jason broke it (it was always the blonde). "Was that what you meant when you were trapped? In, like, a cage?"

"Well, I guess... I mean, I'm always stuck in the castle, and I can't leave grounds. And then I realized I could shadowtravel outside so," Nico abruptly stopped. He shouldn't be telling someone this. Jason could figure out that he's the Sultan's son. He would be betrayed by yet another person he had learned to trust.

"So you're a translator's son, and you live in the palace? Does your father work directly under the Sultan?" His question was genuine, and his blue eyes burned with curiosity.

"Um, yea. He's needed to translate for many of the trades persons that come and other political leaders."

"That's pretty awesome. Can you speak different languages?"

"I can speak Italian, but only because my mother taught me when I was little. And a little Greek and Latin."

"That's pretty cool. I can speak a little Latin. Quid agis?"

"Quae quamquam foeda, morior." Jason snorted at that response.

"Braccas meas vescimini."

"Infernum quod loqueris?*"

"It's an insult."

" 'Speaking of manners, that's not very nice.' " Nico appropriately quotes the blonde from earlier, and Jason pouted (not that he would ever admit).

"Fine. Tu bellus.**"

"Che cosa?!" Nico chocked on his own words and he blinked with wide eyes. "C-che cosa, cosa stai dicendo?***" Jason raised a thin eyebrow. "Sorry, I don't understand Italian?"

"What did you just...?!"

"I was complimenting you."

"But you can't just  _call_ someone-"

"There they are!" Nico knew that voice. He had spit in that guy's face, and the gang leader had tried to kill him. Fond memories, eh? "Do it for the money!"

After a rant of 'red snake' and the sound of a stampede, the two teen were running for their lives. Nico didn't know where to shadowtravel to, and he wasn't entirely sure if he could yell and give Jason a warning ahead of time; that would only give their exact position and future position away. So running away. This had become their life now.

"Nico, can I pick you up and fly away?" As the shorter teen gave him an impressive dark look, they nearly smashed into a nice elderly lady who was doing the laundry and she muttered something about 'respect' and 'teens' before ignoring them altogether. They made their way through different alleys and ran passed confusing corners but the stampede was always somewhere near them. Sometimes, even ahead of them.

It was a straight, long alley, dusty and smalls streams of sunlight drifting through the rotting wooden planks two stories above them. They were in between two house complexes but there didn't seem to be anyone in them. "We lost them, huh?" Jason looked at Nico and realized that he was holding the shorter teen's hand. With a small blush he let go; he must've held onto it when they needed to speed up.

"Maybe." They chuckled and caught their breath, until the footsteps came again. "C'mon, give us a break," the blonde whined, "Can't we do this another day?"

They ran ahead, but skidded to a stop when several of the Red Snake members blocked their way, creating a human wall. They couldn't go back because they were currently being pursued in that direction. So, they were screwed.

"Come out of your little hole, mousie. We've come to play." The tone in the leader's voice made Nico shiver, a cold chill running down his spine (and that had nothing to do with the blistering weather, let me tell you that). Jason instinctively stepped in between the Prince and the Boss, shielding Nico.

"What do you want," his voice reached a low tone, and it was more of a statement rather than a question. The leader clicked his tongue and slowly advanced, branding his curved sword. Nico felt the heavy Stygian Iron at his side and was glad for it. His eyes glanced over Jason, but he couldn't find any sort of weapon on the blonde's side. That wasn't good. _And_ they were horrible outnumbered. Jason smiled at the curses being muttered under Nico's breath. 

"Well, we don't  _need_  anything, we just want to have some fun." The sound of metal on metal might as well have been a death wish for them; with a grimace, Nico pulled out his deadly sword as soon as his eyes landed on a shiny, silver pistol being loaded. "Oh? Not a runner anymore?" Jason quickly noticed the black sword and his bulging eyes would've been hilarious, under different circumstances.

"Maybe if your breath didn't stink as much," the Prince growled. Using the moment as a distraction, the blonde pulled out a single golden coin, something that he had been with ever since he could remember (which was actually, not that long). Twirling it around his fingers, he decided to take out his surprise attack a bit later on. The slight sounds of clanging weapons were made as everyone twitched with anticipation of a good fight.

Without a warning or signal from the leader, the two teens were attacked by the vicious Red Snake. Jason avoided getting injured by dodging and unarming the offenders; from then, it was only child's play to bring them down. A punch here, a taunt there the blonde practically danced over the snake. After a while, he found that he lost track of the shorter teen. "Wha-" He only barely dodged the swing that nearly cut his head from his neck.

"Whoa. Didn't mother ever tell you to not play with pointy things?" An angry grunt and Jason fell to the ground, staring at his prominent death. 'Oh well," he shrugged it off. He was bound to die like this sooner or later. A black blur later, the grown man was grabbing his hand like a wounded puppy and completely at the mercy of the short shadowtraveler. He whimpered off to another alley to lick his wounds, and Nico helped the blonde up, who practically beamed at him.

"Why don't you watch after your own back? You almost lost a head there."

"Oh thanks. But I'm pretty sure Leo can build me a spare." Another gang member jumped at them, but Jason knocked him out with two clean punches. It didn't seem that many of their offenders would be getting back up, and some weren't even to be seen. "Well, other than that-" a chuckle from their left stopped Jason mid-speech. The badges and proper uniform notified them of his impressive rank in the Army and number of years served under the Sultan. Nico's body was rigid and his posture as still as a stone statues. Jason sighed.

"Give us a break, will you? We're only human." With a flip of his thumb, his golden sword materialized into his hand. The shorter teen, once more in his lifetime, blanched at him. "What? We didn't need it sooner." Nico snorted and then they charged together, two cogs in a machine, two dancers on the stage. Suddenly, Nico collapsed with an 'oof' and tried to wrestle the enemy body over him. Jason was busy fending off the others while two extremely heavy guards (each over one-fifty with their height and built) held the struggling Prince to the ground. Nico was punched in the gut, losing all of his air and with a noiseless cry, a stone was placed onto his chest, right above where his heart must've been.

With an expression of horror, Nico understood what the light stone was doing; it was probably the finished product made by Octavian, as he was working on a prototype while he still lived at the palace. Technically he still does, but he doesn't consider that his home. The flicker of shadows gathering around the stone and his partially muddled vision was only one of the side effects of his body reacting to power being forcefully taken from him. Soon, his muscles were all worn out, his skin death-cold, and white spots dancing in his sight. He could vaguely hear his name being called by an achingly familiar voice, and for a second, a dark brunette with kind sea-green eyes and a carefree smile down at him. Then it was a much taller blonde with a eyes of the heavens and a knowing smile.

A metal blade was held to his neck, and he wanted to shake his head, scream for Jason to run and fly to save himself. But no, that stupid, handsome, loyal blonde had to stay for his sake. "Trčanje! Fly, idiote! Spremi se!****" The blade pressed harder to his side,and he could feel a trail of thick liquid running down his pale skin and dripping onto the sand below his knees. Wordlessly, Jason dropped his weapon and his eyes turned a stormy grey, the winds around them picking up their pace and almost becoming a tornado. Once again, and Nico was pretty sure that the metal was about to cut into his windpipe. The blood pooled and flowed to Jason's feet.

Forcing himself to calm down, Jason allowed himself to be held bound by the guards and watched with a grim expression as the body holding Nico captive raised the Prince to his knees, movements jerky, and ripped the black cape off of his lean figure. Plain, dark trousers and a black cloth shirt over his pale body; the only abnormal thing were the snaking lines of ink trailing across his neck, like a collar, and similarly designed tattoos over his wrists. With closer inspection, Jason could point out a couple more on his fingers. Trying escape his captive's grasp, Nico struggled, but with a final heave, he slumped lifelessly onto the enemy support. He waited for the mocking, the flinching, the judging faces. Some of the people in the army were surprised to be fighting the Prince, out of all people, and a couple were even kneeling in front of him. The head guard spat onto the ground, but that reaction was anticipated by all; the only, really, unexpected reaction was from the blonde himself.

"What," Jason cocked his head to the side and frowned, raising an eyebrow to finish off the effect. "Are you part of some dark gang or something? That would make sense. I mean, your choice of clothing, man." He thought he could see the black eyes fill with relief, and the thin lips curve to the side in a slight grin. Then he saw the white stone, slowly turning into a light grey. With a knowing glance, he tried to launch himself to his friend's rescue, but was held back and forced on the ground. The blows came from everywhere, bruising his ribs and stomach and back as his hands were bound and he couldn't do anything to defend himself. It wasn't long before Nico's blood, so prominent and in his face, was mixed with splatters of his own.

He gave a small smile before coughing off some more blood. Nico could only barely make out the mouthed words before losing consciousness.

" _See you later._ _"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Quid agis? - How do you do? (Latin)  
> Quae quamquam foeda, morior. - Horrible, I'm dying (Latin)  
> Braccas meas vescimini - Eat my pants (Latin)  
> Infernum quod loqueris? - What the hell are you talking about? (Latin)  
> **Tu bellus - You're cute. (Latin)  
> ***Che cosa? - What? (Italian)  
> Cosa stai dicendo? - What are you talking about? or What are you saying? (Italian)  
> ****Trčanje! Fly, idiote! Spremi se! - Run! Fly idiot! Save yourself! (Latin)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOO is coming out tomorrow! In a couple of hours, and almost had a mental break down when I found out this morning... Hope you guys are as excited as I am! Well, enjoy~

Jason thought it would be better to die. Sure, he was used to hiding in dark, damp corners and sleeping with rodents but he had never been in this much pain before. Seeing Nico being drained of his life in front of his eyes, and being beaten was, sure enough, one of the top nightmares that he could’ve had. The look of horror when the ebony-haired teen blacked out. The excruciating fire running all across his body when he had been bullied far enough. The loss and gain of consciousness when he was carried to the palace. The cries of anguish from Leo and Piper when they were held back. The whispers of the crowd surrounding him. He wanted to apologize to his friends, for not being strong enough; he wanted to beat the crap out of the guards, and the royal army but he wasn’t in proper shape. Not yet, anyways. And now he was chained to a dirty stone wall, slowly bleeding out onto the equally dirty stone wall.

The footsteps coming his way seemed far away, but everything echoed around him. The blonde lifted his head slightly and cringed at the pain in his neck; yet through all this, he would prove that he was a fighter, he had to. He wanted to prove that he could support his friends, a family (if he even had one), and he needed to protect Nico. He struggled upwards, trying to get a grip on the sense of balance and where reality and dreamland stood. 

“Don’t get up. You’ll bleed to death.” Metal chains clanked against each other as Jason visibly relaxed, slumping towards the ground. Small hesitant yet determined hands felt over his torso and ribs. The blonde couldn’t help but laugh at this situation, before wincing in pain. 

“Like what you see?” Nico pressed against a pressure point, and muttered about an ‘idiot with more broken bones than ones intact’. Jason pouted. “You did that on purpose.”

“Maybe. Prove it.”

“You... You’re just jealous that I can fly, and have a golden ass, and -ow, ow, ow. See? On purpose.”

“Three broken bones, a black eye, sprained ankle, bruised spine, broken arm, dislocated shoulders. You’re lucky you lived.”

“Well, darn, I feel so special.” He laughed before coughing up some blood. He calmly and gratefully accepted the napkin handed to him, and cleared away as much of the clotted blood as he could. “Anyways, how’d you come here? Can’t tie you up?”

“Something like that.” The silence was broken as the Prince ripped a package of gauze and cloth bandages, quickly wrapping Jason’s injuries. “I’m going to make you a splint and pop your joints back into place. It’s going to hurt. A lot.”

“Gee, and I thought all nurses sugarcoated everything. Aren’t you supposed to reassure me that I’ll be all nice and better by the time you’re done with you?”

“Hmm. There is a chance that your cuts will be infected, and you’re not doing to be able to heal properly if you don’t let me put on the arm splint.” With a look, he handed Jason a roll of cloth, and allowed Jason to bite it. Oh, and if Jason had a big shred of his ego left, he would have soon regretted it, and found out that he was in dire need of it. 

Jason spit out the cloth now corrupted with his saliva and curses and sat panting against the stone wall. His forehead was damp and a small smile graced his figures as Nico gave him an amused look. “Hurt enough?”

“Oh, thanks for the warning.” 

“I did give you one.” 

The blonde ignored his correct point. “Nice dress.” The Prince muttered something, and sighed, wrapping white bandages around the blonde’s body once again. “Please don’t break anything else.”

“Don’t make promises,” Nico replied curtly. He stood up and Jason could clearly see the dark bags under his eyes, the way the black cloth hung off of his even skinnier frame, and his protruding cheekbones. 

“Nico, have you rested properly? After that guy...” the blonde grimaced and rattled the chains together. “You look like the living dead.”

“Paradox. Impossible. I can’t be both dead and alive. And yes, I have gotten rest. I just woke up. I’ve been asleep for a couple of days. Same time you’ve been here.”

“Wait, you just- that’s not rest, Nico, that’s like you black out, and just regained your-”

“I need to steal the keys. I should be able to do so without much attention. ‘Till then, wait for me, okay? You can’t stay here much longer. Try not to make too much noise. I’ll get the keys.” Jason struggled to get up, and then winced once again as his splint caught on one of the metal rings. 

“But you’re, you’re... Going to kill yourself, or other risky behavior, or don’t do that. I...I... Can’t let you.” A slim finger pocked his forehead, and he struggled his head up, until he was eye-to-eye with Nico. The maybe-translator’s son. The shadowtraveler. The warrior. The healer. His friend. No, more than that, he was- Jason’s whisper echoed the fear and worry in his eyes, illuminated by the soft yet unyieldingly harsh moonlight. A dream of reality, the reality of a dream. Neither could tell anymore. “I don’t want to let you go.”

“You’re not. This isn’t goodbye, you know,” Nico whispered back, smiling for Jason’s sake. He needed to get the blonde out of here and into the safe haven of his little place and Leo and Piper’s capable hands. He couldn’t get his feelings in the way, or a little mistake on his part to endanger both of their lives. He could do this. 

He needed to do this.

“I’m not saying goodbye,” the Prince whispered again, “I’ll come back, I promise. And if I didn’t get it right, uh, don’t hate me...” Jason’s question died at his lips as he felt the soft, cold ones brush against his cheek. 

“No more? Only the cheek?” His cocky smile quickly widened as the half-Italian blushed deeply, growing into an almost scarlet. 

“I’ll give you another one,” Nico raised an eyebrow and stood up. “But only if you live. Well, if you die, I still might give you one. It depends on how you smell.”

“What? That’s not fair.”

“You are in no position to negotiate with me right now. Besides, I need to get going.” The dark crouched figure stood up and the midnight cloak around him veiled him quite well against the shadows. Jason couldn’t help but call out one more warning. “Nico,” he whispered into the dark, “be safe.”

The figure clad in black nodded curtly once before slipping into the shadows; eventually, he slipped through a small hole through the stone walls, a loose brick that he had found. Once Nico was outside, he slunk around the night shift guards and found the the guardhouse. Heart beating, blood pulsing, brain whirling, he stepped inside, wary of any loose and squeaky planks. 

It was too bad that the private prisons were inside of the castle premises, as anti-teleportation devices have been set up everywhere. If he tried to remove one (and trust me, it wasn’t pretty), it would either drain his energy so fast he had a high chance of being instantly brain-dead, or be shot full of electrical currents and die from a cardiac arrest. So he could only use stealth to his advantage. Fortunately, there was some kind of commotion/party that was going on so no guard would be full sober. He quietly slipped inside the door, and veiled himself in the shadows. There was a nail driven into a wooden support beam with a ring and thin metal keys on it. Jackpot. 

It seemed too easy. It wasn’t long before he plucked the key from the hook and slowly walked towards the door, ready for his escape. A constant, repetitive sound woke him out of his slumber of exhausted-yet-euphoric state. 

Footsteps. 

Coming his way, and approaching fast. 

With no other plan, he broke the tie that allowed his curls to tumble around his head, and he tried to straighten them with a vain effort. It came down to around his chin, and he used his bangs to create a natural mask that covered at least half of his face. He quickly took off his cape and tucked the hood inside, making a makeshift skirt out of it, so that it looked like he was a funeral maid, or something.This was the one time he was glad for his extremely petite frame. Using this disguise could help him slip past the drunken- once again, he figured- guards and to Jason’s rescue.

“Hey look, it’s a maid.” Okay, maybe the disguise was a little too well-drawn, or the guard a little too drunk. “Hey, you wanna have some fun?” Nico tried to escape their slurred words, before they could notice that he was wearing a toga instead of a blouse, and that his hair was extraordinarily dark and curly and short for a common maid’s. Instead, he found himself trapped against the wall with a looming breath over him. Nico forced himself not to make eye contact, not to snark back some sarcastic response, not to talk even and notify the guard that he was, indeed, not female. “Why don’t I take your mind off of some work?” 

Then the perfect plan came to him. With a cough, Nico tried to make his voice as high and quiet as possible. “I-I know a place.” He could practically hear the grin and triumph in the guard’s voice.

“Please not anywhere too public,” the tall brunette smiled lewdly (although all Nico could think about was saving Jason from that hellhole) and held out a hand. “I like to hoard a lot.” When the short teen led him out of the guard house, with the small, cold metal rubbing into his lower back and seemingly burning. It was an all too present existence at the time being, and his heart couldn’t help but race at the thought of this perilous ‘mission’. 

Nico led the guard on the other side of the wide plain, behind a corner of the palace, near but not quite into the garden. He gently pushed the brunette against the stone wall and put a finger to his lips. The gurgling water reminded Nico that he needed some food and water to give Jason. And something to escape with. This turned out to be more complicated than he anticipated it to be. “So, you know,” The ebony-haired teen pulled off the cloak and silently pulled out his Stygian Iron sword, sensing the fear radiating from the taller male in front of him. “The typical. Don’t say a word or your throat gets slashed out.”

“W-wait, wait. You’re a guy?”

Nico raised an eyebrow but other than that, his facial expression did nothing to convey amusement. “I just threatened to kill you ruthlessly. Now, strip.” At the incredulous face he received, he brandished his sword with incredible menace. “ _Now._ ”

“Hmm. Didn’t peg you for that kind of a gu- Okay, okay. Stripping.” The guard hesitantly dropped his tan uniform onto the grass next to his feet. 

“Hand behind your head.” The indiscriminate instructions made the guard see that this was no time for jokes, and it didn’t matter if he tried to save a shred of his dignity.

“Just, please don’t kill me. I have a family, a sister and her son. A  _mother_.” Nico was silent at his pleas for life. “Please, I’ll do whatever it takes. I just can’t leave them to be, they need me-”

“I knocked you out with a rock, and you didn’t see it coming because I’ve blindfolded you.You wake up without your clothes and managed to see that the girl has a birthmark on her...her collarbone. You don’t remember anything else.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because there’s someone who needs my help.” the Prince sheath his sword, and picked up the clothes, leaving the guard standing there, with his undergarments on, hands behind his head, and a look of deep respect. 

He still needed clothes, though. 


	7. Chapter 7

" 'Bout time you came back," Jason grumbled into the dark figure once again. "What happened to your hair?"

"It spontaneously combusted." The humor was lost on the blonde, yet he grinned. Nico, in stead, offered no other explanation than this: "I needed a disguise."

Jason snorted. "As what, a servant girl?"

Silence.

"No way, and you didn't let me see?"

"I will leave you here with two extra broken ribs."

"Honey," Jason chuckled, leaning forward from his chains, "you love me."

Again, silence. The only echoing sound was the unlocking of the chains and the dropping of heavy metal on the stone floor, dark and smelling strongly of iron. Jason kicked aside a rat and heaved in some air before staring in surprise and awe at the loaf of bread that Nico held out to him. "For me?"

"No," the Prince stretched out sarcastically, "it was for the pretty little rats that live off of sunshine and rainbows." Spontaneously, both of them sobered up as Nico held out the uniform that he had 'borrowed'. He turned to give the blonde some privacy before rushing to help the latter actually stay on his feet while changing.

Although with some difficulty, they managed to quietly open the rusted gate (although they had to spit several times on the hinges) and lock it again, and limped (mainly Jason) throughout the courtyard, avoiding other guards. They were rounding a corner when they heard loud voices, their first major encounter with a patrol group. Without another word, Nico pulled his cloak off and wrapped it around his waist, covering his face with his long bangs again. It created a natural cadence around him, and Jason was caught staring.

"Do something, you idiot," the Prince hissed at him. The blonde spiked up his short hair and tried to wipe off the grime on his cheeks with one sleeve, whilst trapping the 'maiden' against the wall with the other arm. "What are you-"

"People feel uncomfortable if they see public affection," Jason grinned, whispering almost directly into the shorter teen's ear. "Keep quiet or giggle like a girl."

"I can't do that-" The blonde gripped his hips and pressed close up to him. The ebony-haired male smelled good, like earth, a solid foundation of his life. He represented the one place that he wanted to stay his entire life, the one peaceful sanctuary. " _Just go with it_ ," he whispered into Nico's ear.

He curled one hand nervously over Nico's side and traveled upwards until the voices got closer and closer; the latter's breath hitched and he gave a breathless laugh. It wasn't until a moment later that Jason realized what Nico had actually responded to.

"Are you ticklish?"

"No, stop it,  _get off of me_." Instead, the blonde curled his fingers more effectively, creating an instantaneous effect on the Prince. The lithe figure curled and bucked, trying to relieve himself of the torture. Giggles escaped from his throat, more feminine than he would like to admit.

"Hey, you two! Get back to work! Scram!" The elder guard brandished a short knife at them, which they quickly responded to by running off into a more secluded area, yet closer to the gates than they were before. "Tch. Kids..."

By the time they were done 'sprinting', they were breathless and hysterically screw over. "That... That was," Jason said. Neither he nor Nico knew what to say, what word to choose to perfectly describe this moment. "Yes, Jason. It was. It just simply  _was_."

They were still laughing and wheezing (Jason wasn't entirely sure if he was bleeding again, but the splint was kind of working and Nico himself was in horrible shape) when they got to the side gates. They were supposed to be locked, but the locks were still accessible from the inside; nobody but a handful of people knew from the castle, and soon it became some sort of a secret against the guards, who never believed there was any need for security in this section of the wall. And now, Nico was glad of all those years of keeping it a secret.

"Don't leave any trace that you were here, and make sure that nobody recognizes you from the city, otherwise you'll get caught and we'll have to go through this entire procedure  _all over again_ , and tell Piper and Leo what happened, just don't hide anything from them or anything, because it's not really a secret, and lay low for a while so the guards don't catch you, and avoid all sprinting and jumping around like a hooligan until your arm fully mends, idiot-" Jason quickly put a single index finger over the shorter teen's lips, grinning like a 'hooligan'.

"Yes, mother." Nico scowled at the taller's sarcastic remark.

"Might as well be, at this rate."

"Shh," Jason whispered, "we'll get caught." Exasperated, the Prince made a shooing motion with his hands. "Just go."

"What? But you made a promise," Jason said in mock horror and hurt.

"Did I?" The shorter teen's voice made it sound like he had a no-shit tolerance level, or something of the sort. "You still smell."

The blonde sighed and was preparing to go when he was yanked down by his collar, and he felt his lips collide painfully with Nico's own. He gently closed his eyes and savored the feeling of chapped lips against his own, the setting sun splashing a palette of crimson, marigold, and gold across infinite the blue expanse. After they separated, Nico made a face, and Jason grinned in response before leaning down for another kiss. Passion was palpable in the air as the two teens instinctively inclined their head for a better angle. Nico shuddered as Jason ran his tongue over his bottom lip, and forcefully pushed him away with an unnaturally dark and scarlet complexion. "I need to return the keys before somebody notices. And you still really smell."

With a coy grin, Jason buried his head into Nico's shoulder and sighed, tickling the Prince with his warm breath. The half-Italian squirmed after turning a bright red and smacked the blonde in turn. With a laugh and a kiss on the cheek, Jason left, limping away in the night. Nico hesitantly watched him walk away, obviously in pain, and thought of all the things that they had gone through, as a duo. His bruised lips tilted upwards into a ghost of a shadow before disappearing, as Nico did into the shadows of the palace.

Crickets chirped and the Moon shone her light onto all below with a gracious smile.

/

Tbc….


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loneliness seems to be the only companion left for Jason and Nico, but with their love so strong, not even death can separate them forever.

Jason was lonely. He knew that he wasn't supposed to be. Sure, he does feel grateful and relieved at his close escape, but the fact that the translator's son wasn't here with him felt like he was missing a limb. Quite painfully so. It was like a phantom pain that led him gaze out his window to stare mournfully at the palace; so close, yet so far.

When he had gotten back, he made sure to veil himself form the public as he slowly found his way back to Leo and Piper. Their looks were incredulous as he explained all that had happened- and that Nico was also not who they believed to be. But at the second comment, Leo snorted his remark off with a small 'told you so' and Piper grinned, saying that she suspected something of the sort. The blonde only sighed at his friends' acute observation- something that he clearly lacked.

Piper, especially, had fussed over his wounds, but seeing that he needed some time alone, left him with a bowl of fresh salve and his whirling thoughts for company. The nostalgic memories came rushing back to him. His and Nico's first encounter, at the market book, their first fight (where Jason got his golden bum kicked quite thoroughly), and their first fight  _together_ , running from the royal guards and the Red Snake. Jason smiled when he thought of the way he had picked up the shorter teen into the sky, and as hell couldn't help but smile like a crazed maniac when he thought of the scene at the gate.

So that's how Leo found him.

The curl-haired teen gave his best friend a little look before helping him carefully take off his makeshift splint and rest it on the window- the cool concrete should help subsidize the inflammation. "So what are you smiling like a hooligan for?"

At the nickname, Jason's grin only grew wider than before and was forced to stray his gaze elsewhere, preferably the palace. He hummed a little tune under his breath- something that Leo clearly heard in the close proximity that they were enclosed in.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit." When Jason didn't answer, the mechanic sighed and changed the topic, moving on. "I heard that the Sultan's son returned."

"What? The Prince? What about- Sultan? What?" The blonde's words were cut off with his own confusion and he Leo shrugged.

"The girl that I work with- man, is she scary- knows a guy who has a half-brother, who's friend's cousin is one of Octavian's personal guard/servant. You know the high scribe? Yea. He overheard the rooster complaining about how they need to restrict the Prince more. And something about energy crystals. I dunno. Forgot the rest. By the way, where's your friend?"

"Oh, he had to leave for...something. He left." Jason finished dumbly. Then he quieted, looking around for anyone else: nobody. Good. "Actually, Nico, the guy, he lives in the palace. Said he was the translator's son."

Leo gave him in incredulous look. "Are you serious?"

Jason nodded, feeling like he was gossiping, spilling a secret so big that he would die if news got out. "I've never heard of a di Angelo, but-"

"Di Angelo? Palace?!"

"Shh!"

But instead of listening to him, Leo only shook his head. "Man, you're pretty deep in shit right now. First the Royal guards, now with the di Angelo?"

"What's wrong with di Angelo?" Jason frowned.

"Nothing, I mean it's just… You know what, it's probably better that you don't know."

"What-?" Just at that moment, Piper came rushing forward, a loaf of bread in her hands. It was still fresh out of the oven, and the two teenage boys' mouths were watering from the simple scent of it. With a grin, Piper threw it to Jason, who caught it with one hand and allowed Leo to split it with his. The trio talked and laughed and just relished in each other's presences before, one by one, drifting off to sleep.

The moon was high up by the time that Jason woke up again, pained. It wasn't the physical kind but the sort of phantom pain that you have when separated from the one that you love, from the one that is supposed to be your eternal "other half". Flashes of dark hair, pale skin, rich eyes that were able to peer through your soul; he sighed and wished that it wasn't only a creative aspect of his imagination. His gaze found his friends' sleeping forms and realized that he couldn't possibly tell them what he wanted to do, what he was going to do. There was no need to alarm them, as he had already told them about Nico and the palace business- they had freaked out enough over his behalf, and what he was planning involved majorly risking his golden arse. Gazing at their serene expression, he sighed contently. Well, at least having his life on the line wouldn't be a first. He just mentally urged himself to heal faster so he could escape the confines of his 'home'.

Subconsciously, his gaze had strayed back to the dark palace.  _If only…_  The wish died on his lips before he once again fell into a deep slumber. But it was alright, everything was fine. Jason was going to see Nico the day after. He was going to be reunited with his love once again…the blonde fell asleep with a smile plastered onto his handsome features.

~.~.~

Nico was lonely. After being stuck in his room for a week, he was  _really_  lonely. Well, he would never admit to it out loud, but after the fiasco with Jason, and Leo, and Piper, and the running from guards, and saving a prisoner from his own 'home', staying inside of his room seemed extremely dull. All that time spent with the tall, handsome blonde with baby-blue eyes was worth the lecture he received from the head cook, his father, Octavian, and the random guard that had passed him in the hallway. That had kind of freaked him out, and he had nearly forgotten to breathe until his lungs were burning from the effort and his mind lightheaded. (Had the rumors spread fast? How fast and how far did news travel? Would they make a big deal with finding Jason again? Who would really care enough to go looking for him? Did Jason get back safely? Do I need to help him again? Did he collapse on his way to the town, with a heatstroke or blood loss- or dehydration? Is he okay? Did the guards not notice? Does everyone in the nation know that I was out? What would happen, then? Would Jason hate me for being the Sultan's son? Why am I being lectured in the middle of the hallway, on the way to the bathroom?)

All he had wanted was to be free. And he could be free with Jason.

In one particular moment, he was staring at the sky and outside world through the small balcony, staring wistfully at the clear blue skies and the floating clouds, birds flying without a care in the world, so free with their wings. And then he would turn his gaze downwards in a vain hope that he had- then would see the dozens of feet that separated him from the ground. There was nothing like a rope he could make that would be that long, and if he tried to jump it, he would be imitating a bug- going  _Splat!_  on the pavement below. So after wistfully staring at the ground below him for a couple of minutes, he would saunter back into his room and collapse onto his bed. He was confined to his room other than at meal times, and he rarely went outside of his room to eat with his 'family', one that he rarely knew about.

As soon as he had gotten back from his whole 'teenager rebel'/ 'running away from home' phase, his father and Octavian had tried to get him to participate in various activities and get tutored, from swordsmanship to the history of his family lineage. Well, since his mother was a foreigner and his father from a role line of former and quiet dead Sultans, it was basically learning the history of the country. It was still the same boring lecture over and over again about how he should be proud of his country and what good our govern has contributed to world, and- Nico turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to everything. His history teacher finally gave up when the so-called ignorant Prince had written a perfectly good essay which proved that Advanced History was not something that he needed to learn, and that his country had done as many harmful, if not more, actions that resulted in negative consequences for the entire  _province_  that they were part of. Nico was triumphant to see that the History tutor had blown his top as well as given up on him. When he tried to learn about the natural sciences, he would either make powerful potions and gases, powerful enough to knock an adult out with one whiff (totally _not_  the tutor, no, what are you talking about?) or blush tremendously and start stammering when bordering onto more- how should this be stated-  _mature_  topics of adulthood.

Similar was for his swordsmanship classes. When he entered the arena, he still had the resentment and rage towards his father and Octavian in their latest squabble and when he and the royal swordsman were testing his skills, he nearly killed the poor guy, who was left quivering on the dirt floor, like a leaf in the winter wind. He felt a kind of pity for him, but anger- at the moment- was the dominating emotion. So there was nothing for him to learn, and nothing for him to do except stare out into the sky-blue backdrop the color of Jason's eyes and think hopelessly about the flying birds that were free to come and go as they pleased.

Jason was amused. "If you like me so much, why not make a portrait?" Startled, the son of the Sultan reared back, nearly tripped over his own feet, if it weren't for the blonde. Jason dashed forward like the hero that he was and intimately held the smaller teen closer to him. After a moment of contact like that he wrapped his arms tightly around the dark-haired teen as to keep close, as to never let go. Nico just stood there, dazed and stunned at the fantasy hero that had literally swooped in to save him. "Hey," Jason whispered into his ear, "I missed you."

Suddenly, thing arms snaked around his midsection and practically squeezed the breath out of his recently healed ribs, and he wheezed- but all was right, and he smiled and gently brushed the soft hair out of startled eyes: the eyes of a young child who was confused, who didn't know what to do in life, wide eyes that were drowning in a sea of their own as tears threatened to spill. "I-I… J-Jason…" Without another word, he buried his head into Jason's chest, and the blonde only held him tighter still.

"Hey, Nico, don't cry," Jason reassured, "I'm here. I won't leave you. And hey, we're not about to die anymore." Nico gave a little kick to the shin after he said that last part and the taller laughed, calling his name once more. Nico loved the way Jason said his name as  _Nee-ko_ , not in the cut-up way that Octavian says like mechanically, or even the way his father says it like a remote and cold stranger who has never heard of the word before, but flowing smoothly that it almost sounded like one syllable. He loved the way that Jason's deep, masculine voice made it melodic, with the first syllable a bit higher than the second  _ko_ , and how instead of trying to pronounce the Italian  _di Angelo_ , he would smile warmly and whisper, his hot breath tickling Nico:  _Nee-ko dee Angel-o? Nee-ko the An-gel. Nee-ko my Angel._ The tears ran down from his closed eyes to wet the thin cotton shirt that Jason had worn, and the Prince reveled in the way his name was being said, over and over again in his ear. He had missed the blonde, he had part of his heart away, and now he was overflowing with a sense of passion, content, peace, happiness, hope, freedom, love.

Nico felt Jason trying to pull themselves apart, and held on all the tighter, making some noise in the back of his throat that clearly meant ' _I don't want to let go, don't pull on me or I will make it so that you will personally not enjoy life anymore, you will think that what the soldier did to you is child's play, and what are you doing why are you lifting my head up I don't want to, no, stop, Nico says no_ '. Jason didn't know how that many words were clearly expressed in that little grunt of a noise, but he did, and Jason grinned, thinking, Oh so Nico.

"Nico, look at me. I need to see your face." With an audible sigh of conceding, the Prince looked up, staring into those heaven-colored eyes that he dreamt about. Not that he would admit… in the near future.

" _Lasciami andare, idiota. Non è colpa mia che sogno quegli occhi quasi tutti i giorni...*_ " Jason was slightly taken aback at the rapidly spoken foreign language- something from the European province? "J-Jason?"

"Nico," Jason caressed his cheek, "I.. Nico."

"What?" He sounded irritated but the scarlet flush on his cheeks and the subconscious way he leaned into the touch spoke otherwise.

"Can I kiss you?"

Nico rolled his eyes, peering into Jason's skull and life with his wide brown eyes like rich cocoa, and rims just slightly red with former tears- yet no new ones. "As long as you don't smell this time."

"Not as much, no," Jason grinned. "Although, I'm not sure how much I would fit in with this whole 'palace-thing'-"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me,  _teppista_.**"

"If you say s-mph." The blonde was forcefully pulled down, his lower half bent almost uncomfortably, whilst his lips crashed against smaller and, this time, softer than his also coming with a sense of déjà vu.

Nico could feel Jason's lips curve upwards while against his, and his calloused, warm hands rest on his narrow hips as he wrapped his bonier arms around his lover.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> *Let me go, idiot. It's not my fault I dream about those eyes nearly everyday...  
> **hooligan
> 
> Tbc…  
> I don't know whether or not to make the next chapter some kind of zesty fun (aka lemon), but… leave a comment to let me know what you want~  
> See you next time =^u^=


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Srry guys, I've been busy with SAT II's and whatnot... and reading book to be honest...  
> but here's your chapter, and it's sad to say that this may be one of the final chapters... just a heads-up. Yea, so thanks for reading so far, and I hope to give you a much better next chapter.  
> =^u^=

Nico didn't feel himself moving until his back hit the mattress of his bed. Even then, he seemed to be having some sort of an out-of-body experience, unable to care what was going on around him but only hyperaware of Jason, his hands, his touch, his kiss, his love. Nico himself was inexperienced (being realistic and being stuck in the palace did take away most of your chances of dating), but the blonde didn't seem to mind as he gently raised his hands upwards so that they rested on the concave hollow of the pale teen's stomach. Jason leaned back for breath, and Nico could see his flushed face and his messy blonde hair and his lust-filled blue eyes. No doubt he was much better. The taller blonde's expression suddenly became sober, and he couldn't seem to be able to take his eyes off of the 'translator's son'.

"Nico," he said, "are you okay with this?"

The half-Italian pretended to ponder the subject with himself. "Hmm. Well, at least you don't smell anymore."

" _Nico_." His serious tone made said teen grab Jason's biceps and push him off a bit, before flipping them so that he was on top. He straddled Jason, pressing against his flushed body as he hastily pressed his lips against Jason's. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. If I really didn't want you to do this, you probably wouldn't be breathing right now."

Nico could feel the blonde smile into the kiss and his strong arms flexed under the ebony-haired teen's grip. They once again started to roam around, and once again Jason moved them so that he was on top, in control.

"Oh, shut u-" he was cut off by his own gasp as Jason nibbled on his lower lip, hands pressing the small and sensitive dip of Nico's back against his strong body before moving down to cup his arse. Nico writhed and moaned, unable to keep the small noises to himself. Jason had managed to wrench off the long and vexing toga and throw it somewhere to the side, somewhere that the two didn't care about. Nico none-too-gently tugged off the blonde's cloth shirt so that the both of them were left only in their trousers and undergarments.

Jason detached himself from Nico's lips even as he heard a soft whine, which quickly turned into a moan when he re-attached himself to the exposed strip of pale flesh underneath his jaw. He bit down, hard enough to make a bruise but not enough to break the skin- just the right amount for pleasure. Nico bit down on his lips to keep from screaming, and arched upwards. Now, it seemed as if the half-Italian's body had a mind of its own. White exploded behind Nico's eyes when his hips brushed against Jason's, and the blonde gave a husky groan that reverberated throughout Nico's entire being.

Jason's warm breath ghosted over the pale and exposed chest, stopping momentarily to gaze into the deep, dark eyes that reflected the color of rich cocoa. "Once I start, I'm not going to be able to finish," he simply stated. Nico met his gaze head-on.

"Then don't."

The next couple of moments were frenzied as they touched and kissed some more, with renewed vigor and a passion stronger than it had been the moment before.

A maid knocked on the Sultan's son's room, calling out. "Sir. Di Angelo." There was a loud thud and some ruffling, as if someone were either organizing cloths or shifting through papers. "Sir."

"Yes?"

She gulped and the multiple rumors about the young prince whirled in her mind. "Sir, the Sultan wishes to see you."

"I-I'll be out in a bit."

Inside, two teens were scrambling to find and put on their own pieces of clothing as the maid waited. Nico quickly felt if his hair was still as tousled as ever and his face flushed and his toga presentable. Jason pouted like a little child. "But that look suited you."

Nico made a noise of exasperation that came from the back of his throat, one which he seemed to be extremely good at. "I'm going to meet the  _Sultan_. I can't just go like I just had  _sex_."

Jason held Nico in a slight hug, hands sliding down the silky material of the toga and pressing their lips together for a bit. "Well, we didn't really have  _sex_  but if you wanted to…"

" _Jason._ "

" _Nico,_ " the blonde replied. The ebony-haired teen sighed and shook his curls. "Jason, I don't think that I'll be back for some time, so…"

"Oh, okay." The blonde looked, if not, a bit disappointed. "I guess I'll see you soon?"

"I-I…" The half-Italian stopped, not knowing what to say. Then, he stepped forward, and hugged the blue-eyed teen. "Just don't hurt yourself," he mumbled into the taller one's chest. "Hooligan."

Jason laughed and held Nico, then walking backwards towards the balcony. With a small salute, he fell backwards, then flew gently towards the ground, sneaking his way back towards the city. Nico left the room and nodded to the maid, who was surprised by his calm demeanor and his small stature. She hurried along and left Nico to walk to the Sultan's main throne room.

On the way there, however, the royal scribe tagged along, walking besides him with a smirk on his face. The Prince only sighed. "Fuck off, Octavian."

"Now, now, is that the kind of language that you use?"

"Around you," the half-Italian hissed back. "Since when are you so involved in what I do?"

The scrawny blonde didn't reply, only looked suspiciously at him. "What's that on your neck?"

"A wha-" Nico's hand flew to his neck and he covered it, flushing slightly. It was probably what Jason had done earlier, when he had  _bitten_ \- Nico cleared his thoughts away, and then scratched the slightly bruised patch of skin before acting all nonchalant. "Oh, just a bug bite."

The scribe still looked a bit suspicious, but he could nothing about it. For the moment.

They arrived at the chamber, and Octavian had left while the half-Italian was opening the door. Even though there was the apparent doom of meeting his father, Nico couldn't help but smile with the thoughts from before- the thoughts of and with Jason.

He walked through the door, happy and loved.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, finals are finally over! Yes! Not that I myself was suffering much but the whole dark aura from school didn't rest with me well… Well, I truly, deeply apologize for procrastinating (although you're probably not surprised at this point) for I lost the USB with all of my stories on there, fanfiction and not. So. Here's the new (and somewhat improved although that creates a paradox) chapter. This will most likely be the second to last chapter- unless you want an epilogue…. Which will most probably be a lemon because I really don't know how to end of stories well ^u^. Well, it was nice having you all here for the ride. Thanks, and enjoy reading.

Octavian knew that something was going on. He knew that the Prince was hiding something from him, from the rest of them (those who lived in the palace). It started with his attitude- he had run away, then come back without much fuss. Sure, he didn't  _want_  to come back, but he didn't throw a fit that cracked the walls or the floor. Then, he would have these mood swings from depressed to exuberant, all in one day. Now  _that_  was a bit extreme. Octavian knew that children of his age behaved strangely (although he himself was only a couple years older) but seemed to get a little bit out of hand.

Then came the 'bug bites'. Sometimes, strange and mottled bruises would appear on his pale and slender neck and Octavian couldn't help but wonder if the young prince was seeing someone. Could be a servant girl, but he doubted it. Most of the servants at the Palace, if not all, had a haunting view of the Sultan's son with rumors ranging from him being a necromancer to emitting a dark aura that can kill you at first glance.

He, of course, had nothing to do with it. (Not that there were any benefits to having less competition for the Prince….) Still, the secretary wondered and pondered. Then, he overheard the conversation:

The prince was in the garden, reading in his spare time, or possibly to simply avoid sword-fighting lessons. Then, there loomed a shadow over him that grew larger and larger with each step. The back of Nico's neck tingled and his hands itched to grab something, anything- "You're not going to be able to scare me, Jason, if I can see your shadow and you're breathing down my neck." When he got no response, he closed his book to look up and turn around, and- Bam!- there Jason was, right in his face. They were so close that their noses were touching, and could feel each other's breaths.

With a surprised jump, the Prince jumped and landed in the grass on his bottom. Jason started to laugh at his dark and disgruntled look; the blonde only believed that it made him look more adorable. Nico picked up the book, grumbling, and dusted the leather cover off, placing a leaf to bookmark where he last read. Then, he slapped Jason's arm with it.

The blonde only laughed again and patted the seat next to him on the stone bench; Nico crossed his arms and glared at the blonde. Jason pouted. Nico glared. Suddenly, Jason pulled the Translator's son into his lap, so that the shorter teen was straddling him. "Isn't this much more comfortable than stone?" Jason grinned.

A scarlet hue appeared on Nico's pale cheeks, contrasting greatly. He slapped Jason again with the book. "What are you doing here?" he kept his voice a gravely whisper. Mindless of his heavy tone, or seemingly mindless I should say, Jason gave the teen a deep kiss before pressing butterfly kisses on his cheek, jaw, neck. "Jason, you're going to get caught- ah~"

"Why are you so ashamed of our love?" Jason said teasingly. He nibbled on Nico's Adam's apple, feeling the every vibration as Nico struggled to keep quiet. "You seem to like it when I do this."

He kissed Nico's jaw and licked a clean strip from there to the bottom of his ear.

"Or this."

He gently sucked Nico's earlobe as if it were some sort of sweet treat.

"Or even this." With a grin, he bit the top of Nico's ear. It was soft and delicate, like the rest of him. Nico gasped, and pulled away abruptly as Jason pouted once again. He scowled, but it was only half-hearted.

"Last time you were caught, you nearly died and I had to save you from the prison  _dungeons_. I'm not going to fare well if you keep trying to die." Jason pressed a kiss to Nico's forehead when the shorter teen unsuccessfully veiled his mask of worry.

"Don't worry: I can't die. And I  _really_  wanted to see you but you weren't on the balcon-" He was cut off by Nico's kiss, a distraction that he really didn't mind.

"I'm dating an  _immortal_. How stupid of me. Are you like one of those mythological genies that cannot die but can only be bound to their master?" When the Prince thought of what he had actually said, he blushed. "It was only a myth that I heard when I was younger, I don't actually  _believe_ -"

This time, he was the one being cut off by a kiss.

The blonde grinned at his boyfriend's cute attempt at denial. "I have come far and wide, dressed as a mere peasant. When I found you, master, I was to be bound to you forever, as you have stolen my heart." He dramatically put a hand over his heart. Nico stared at him for a couple of seconds, a blank look on his face, before he gently slapped the blonde's bicep.

"Oh, shut up."

"It was worth a try."

"No, no it wasn't."

"Then can I kiss you?"

Nico grumbled as he flushed a light pink. "You don't need to ask…"

After a couple of heated moments, the smaller teen's head rest on the stronger, taller male's chest. "Are you going to come tomorrow?" He asked hesitantly.

"Tomorrow, and the countless days after that. But now, I should go. I don't want to, but I should." With an internal sigh, Nico got off of the blonde and they stood, holding each other's gaze. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

"But I know that you're leaving," Nico countered. Jason shrugged with a nonchalant expression before ruffling Nico's hair, much to the latter's dismay. Then, he took off with one final kiss. Nico  _did_  sigh this time before heading back to his room.

Octavian walked out from behind the shadows of the palace walls and picked up the dusty book. He carried it inside with a thoughtful expression on his face. Then, the pondering look turned from a thunderous expression of rage, then to a crooked and ominous smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Nico, once again, found himself pacing a little strip into the floor of his room. The words came at irregular intervals, and he worried, not unlike an actor getting ready for his first play onstage. It really wasn't that different.

"Jason, sorry for lying to you, but I'm actually the Sultan's son. No, no..." A couple minutes later:

"Hey, you know the Sultan? Of course you do. Well, you see, he has a son, and you know too. Yea… I'm the Sultan's son... Urgh."

"Hey, Jason. You see, I have a dilemma. I have a secret, a really big secret, and I well... Why is this so hard?" The frustrated teenager kicked the wooden leg of his bed; it wasn't long until he was jumped around the room, cursing like he was breathing air. With him holding his foot and hopping before hobbling around, it would've been pretty funny if not for the tense and slightly fearful doubt inside of Nico's head. He wanted,  _needed_ , to tell Jason, but it didn't seem to be coming very well. Another voice called form the other side of the door.

"Nico?"

"Go away, Octavian!" He yelled back. He went back to his muttering. "Jason, nice of you to drop by. Actually, I have something to tell you... _Damn_ it!"

"Nico? Are you in there with someone?"

"N- yes, actually. I'm trying to have a conversation with a sane person. Will you leave us alone?" The muttering returned and the blonde patiently sighed.

"Someone is here for you."

"What? Who?" The only person that saw him was his father, stepmother, Octavian, and Jason. Other than the ones who lived at the palace, Jason usually came through the window/balcony. What the hell? Who would it be?

"What do they look like?"

"Tall."

Nico stopped pacing and made it clear in his tone that he was crossing his arms. "Very impressive description."

"He said you've been waiting for him."

"Uh-huh."

"He's blonde."

Silence.

"Blonde. Tall. I think blue or green eyes. His stature is impressive."

Nico whispered, "Jason." and opened the door to meet Octavian. It was weird that he himself came instead of ordering a servant but- a hand covered his mouth and an arm cut of his circulation, hand wrapped around his slim throat. He managed to choke out a curse before he was hoisted up and slammed against the wall. Even though a servant was the one physically engaging, it may as well have been Octavian; that stupid, rat-brained, blue-eyed secretary was grinning like a snake after it had caught its prey. He tried to kick out- fight- but he was only slammed against the wall again and held bound.

Black dots began to appear in his vision from lack of oxygen and his brain was screaming for survival, to engage in 'fight or flight' mode. Yet the hands killing him ere too strong. "This is for your own good Nico" were the last words he heard before he lost consciousness.

Jason had continued to give Nico frequent visits at the palace, each bringing higher his suspicion on  _who_  his lover actually was. However, he held his questions back, and there was no bad blood (if you can call it that) between them; Nico would still be, essentially, Nico. He was also frustrated that they haven't gotten past certain intimacy but he convinced himself that they had time and that Nico was- cutely- still a virgin. Well, technically, Jason was too but he had his fair number of relationship that had never really worked out with the local girls and sometimes boys. So he simply gave up.

Now, there was someone that he was  _never_  going to give up on.

"Nico," he called into the balcony. He stared down to see if anybody had spotted a flying teen in front of the palace. Nope. He went back to calling. "Hey, Nico?" He rolled his eyes. "Come out wherever thou may be, my angel. Nico, seriously, come out."

The blonde easily swung himself onto the balcony and walked up to the closed curtains. It was weird; Nico usually left them open, especially when it was time for Jason to visit. There was a rippling shadow that confirmed that another person was waiting on the other side. The dark figure was created by flame of a candle, the light flickering ever so often. Jason rolled his eyes, wondering if Nico actually thought that he could scare him. He reached out to open the light drapes. "That isn't going to work, Ni-"

A sudden pressure and pain sent him sprawling backwards and crashing into the floor with a great  _bang_. His breath was forced out of him as two guards (obviously trained for this) held his arms separately and him on his knees. He looked up with wide and shocked eyes- but who he saw, wasn't Nico.

A scrawny body, clumps of dirty-blonde hair; cold, merciless eyes; and an equally dangerous, cruel, and blade-sharp smile that set Jason's nerves on fire. Yet he didn't struggle in the hold that he was currently in, for he knew that it was in vain. "Who're you," he demanded, "what have you done to Nico?"

"Jason Grace. Homeless child, steals and cheats for a living. An incredibly speckled criminal record. I wonder what he, of such his status, sees in you," the scrawny blonde wondered outloud. His smile grew sharper and wider at Jason's confusion. "My, he didn't tell you, did he?"

"What are you talking about? What have you done to Nico?" This time, he did try to get up but was only forced down to his knees again.

"What have I done? I've spared him shame, and possibly saved his life. The only possible explanation that the courts will believe is blackmail or Stockholm's Syndrome. You are also accused of attempted rape. It doesn't help that  _dear_  Nico's father is the  _Sultan._  You better be making up your last words, Jason Grace."

But before the sense of dread and jealousy, Jason did a double-take and his blue eyes seemed to get bigger with the newly acquired information.

" _Prince_?!"


	12. Chapter 12

Nico woke up with a splitting headache and freezing feet and a sore back and burning wrists. In essence, he was just a bundle of pained nerves. He opened his eyes and waited a couple of moments for his vision to clear. The maroon covers that surrounded him seemed to remind him of a childhood story where a river would run blood red every full cycle of the moon for all the innocent murdered in war. The sheets seemed to drown him with their silky touch, seem to pull him into the river- Wait. His bed sheets weren't red, they were black.

He sat up now, with an alertness in his eyes. Or, tried to. There was rope tying his wrists together- expertly, I might add- to the head of the bed and his toga was threatening to slip off of his body. His feet were bare, and someone had taken his usual trousers off. His expression darkened. He didn't know why or how, but his reliable gut told him that this was not good, that this was all Octavian. Now that he thought about it, it all  _oozed_  Octavian so much that the scheme could only belong to him: tied body parts proving the psychological state of the kidnapper as possessive and controlling.

Besides the point, he needed to get out of this mess.

But he couldn't untie himself because of the rope, he couldn't shadowtravel because of the stupid rocks, and it's not like he's going to fight his way out of this one. It took an extremely long moment of thinking before an idea popped into his head.

What if he  _did_  shadowtravel? Was it possible to somehow  _turn off_  the stones that drained his power? What if he stole energy back again? It was a concept that most people would be wary and skeptical about, but this particular situation called for the most desperate things as hope.

In order to do this, Nico would have to use a lot of his energy as well as expose himself as vulnerable. But there seemed to be no other way.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and relished in the world of pure energy around him. Himself, a dark mass, and all the rest of the forces the only presence he was aware of. He felt himself being slowly pulled from his body into a couple of purple writhing ball of pure and invisible energy, growing slightly larger by the second. He felt a tug towards another larger, darker energy center surrounded by two lighter (what were they?) sources surrounding it. He wondered what the two blue-hued lights came from, but set his focus to the task at hand.

Sweat rolled down his forehead due to the strenuous effort.

The purple balls grew even more frenzied as his focus shifted sharply towards each one of them. His energy was being taken from, as a virus fed on its host. But it was now time to steal back from the virus. Feeding the viruses were very tiring and Nico sometimes felt his consciousness slipping from his grasp. But he wasn't going to give up; he  _was_  going to get out of this mess.

Suddenly, with a very convicted and mental tug, Nico's eyes flew open as energy surged through his veins and the draining sources collapsed onto themselves like black holes. He grinned, as a wisp of smoke was the only thing that was left on the silk sheets of Octavian's room.

As soon as his feet hit the carpet floor, the prince collapsed, heaving for breath and struggling to keep his body awake. In alarm at his sudden and unexpected presence, the three royals dining in the room stood up to their frightening height (well, two of them). Hades himself looked from his son to Zeus, then back to his son.

"Nico di Angelo," he said as he helped his pale and resembling son up, "there are other ways to make a memorable and exuberant entrance."

""I... Octavian... My lord, he had me, and... I can't really explain but, how do I, I mean… It's like, Jason! Oh, gods, Grace, where is Octavia-!"

Hades cut him off. "I believe that you should compose yourself before rambling on and on. Is this some kind of game you are participating in?"

"Is this your son?" The king of the entire collection of provinces stood in the room, booming voice echoing around the grand halls. Hades immediately nodded his consent; everyone else seemed to be quiet, intimidated by the tall king. The girl standing next to Zeus squinted, electric blue eyes that closely resembled her father's narrowing and was framed by dark, chunky locks.

"Isn't Octavian the royal scribe? What was he trying to do to you? Kidnap you? Kill yo-"

The doors to dining hall flew open with a loud BANG, making way to a distressed blonde with worried eyes and a frown on his face. His eyes scanned the unfamiliar faces first before reaching the dark-haired teen that he had learned to love. "Nico! Oh gods, I thought he did something to you, where were you?" He hurriedly walked over to the Prince, currently oblivious to the other royals in the room. Jason's strong arms wrapped around Nico's own shaking figure. "I was so worried something happened to you…"

Nico calmed down, also embracing the taller male. "It's okay. I'm fine." He smiled against Jason's chest, heart warming to know that the blonde cared so much for him. "I…I'm fine."

"…do you know how many soldiers I had to knock out to make sure you were alright?" Jason's tone was light, but his arms wrapped tighter around the Prince, as if making sure that the bony body in his arms would not disappear from his forever. If that were the case, then he would never let go. Nico playfully punched the blonde's chest, making the taller pout into his curly hair.

What essentially broke their reverie was Hades. "And who might you be?" Jason's head shot up, staring at the other three standing in the room: confused, astonished, and amused (you know who's who).

"I-I…" Jason's light eyes glanced around, unsure of which one to be most afraid of.

"Father," Nico cut in, standing so that he was in between the Sultan and the blonde, "this is Jason Grace, m-my lover."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! My friend has an Etsy and her stuff is really cute. I'm not pressuring you to (okay, maybe kinda) but check it out, give it a look. All views and customers are certainly welcome
> 
> Here's the link: etsy.com shop/OneArtisticInfinity
> 
> Thanks guys! And also thank you for sticking 'till the very end (or is it?! jk ^u^)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhh, I apologize, I truly didn't notice that I had posted an unfinished manuscript.... TT^TT   
> It is of my own recklessness and carelessness. Again, I'm sorry, and here is the finished chapter. (There's not much difference, just a transition was added).

" _Father," Nico cut in, standing so that he was in between the Sultan and the blonde, "this is Jason Grace, m-my lover."_

The room was silent as the words sank in. Then: "I'm going to murder Hera, that little bitc-"

"Thalia. Control your tongue."

The female stared at her father, incredulous. "You just found your long-lost son who we thought was killed fourteen years ago because that  _cow_  of your current wife—my,  _our_  stepmother—wanted to send  _him_  to a boarding school that was overrun by terrorists and if they knew who he actually Jason would  _not be standing in front of us right now_."

Hades's sharp eyes widened fractionally at the same time as Nico exclaimed, "What?" The younger di Angelo looked towards the blonde curiously, but Jason only shrugged and pointed towards the open door.

"Uh, should I leave?" It  _was_  kind of awkward.

Nico shrugged, imitating the blonde's gesture. "Explains why you can fly." Zeus cleared his throat and the male teenagers gulped.

"This is a somewhat fortunate occurrence, yet it caught us all unexpectedly. If you are Jason Grace, then the Fates have brought you back home."

"Home?" the blonde looked at him with genuine curiosity and confusion. "What home?"

"Wait," Nico said, "we've already established that Jason is your son?"

Thalia sighed and approached the blonde, staring at his amazingly similar eyes; if they did have the same eyes, he now understood why Piper and Leo said that his eyes were too intimidating during a fight. Thalia stood there, inspecting him. "Who are your parents? Where did you come from? Which province? When's your birthdate? How old are you? How did you get that scar from?"

"I….don't know? I only remember my name and woke up in one of the alleys here," Jason said, as if that much were obvious. Then, he gingerly touched the side of his mouth. "How  _did_  I get this scar?"

"You tried to eat a sword when you were two." Nico (quite unsuccessfully) tried to cover his laugh as a cough. "You mother was Beryl Grace, a famous stage actress later-turned-queen. This is our father. Your birthday is the first day of the seventh month, solar year. You should be sixteen." Jason blinked at the newly-acquired information, and was momentarily shocked that someone would know this much about him. He  _himself_  didn't know this much about him.

Nico, on the other hand, was also absorbing (memorizing) this information; he did the calculation in his head, as his province often ran on the lunar calendar. "That's in two weeks." Jason hummed, looking over to see the Nico with his eyebrows furrowed into a crease in the middle of his forehead, his eyes narrowed in thought, and his lower lip bit habitually. The blonde was overtaken by a sudden urge to hug the smaller teen again. He was just so  _cute_ -

"Jason?" The Prince looked hesitantly at the taller male. Was he taking in the information well? How was he reacting? If it were him (but then again, they were radically different), he might've started to panic. Just a tad bit too much, though. He repeated the name that had gotten so familiar on his tongue.

Thalia, rolling her eyes at the  _men_  in the room (yes, all of them), raised a very important question. "So what are we going to do now? How are his living arrangements going to be sorted out?"

Nico flushed, but spoke out nevertheless. "My lords, if I can have your permission. Jason may stay w-with me." The blonde's face brightened, then quickly changed to a ponderous one.

His 'father' looked at him with clear blue eyes. Well, they could see which heredity trait the king passed on to his children. "Do you have any objections?"

"I, ah," Jason shrugged, a hesitant grin on his face, "might have some problems with guards. Most of them are, uh…indisposed at the moment. Oh, and Octavian. He's not getting up soon." The blonde shrugged at the other's pointed and confused looks.

Nico gave a breathless laugh and shook his head.

Soon, the quartet stood in front of a blonde, struggling against tight ropes. His eyes widened, becoming like wide moons on his thin face, and started to sputter against the 'wanted criminal'. None of them corrected him as Hades and Zeus themselves sentenced and locked Octavian—former royal secretary now—into the unpleasant dungeons that Jason himself had gotten to know for a night. Fortunately enough, only one night. It was all thanks to Nico, he supposed. The two male adolescents were left behind in the ruling and devastation of Octavian, so they had left for the shorter's bedroom. When they got there, however, Jason grinned and picked the Prince up, disregarding all noises of protest, and flew them to a flat plain on the roof of the palace. They sat next to each other in silence, comfortable and content.

A recollection of memories made in the past months (Has it been that long? It seems like time flew—literally) flittered past Jason's vision. Such sweet memories. The pain was there, obviously, but he personally believed that if you felt no pain, then you would have no indication of being alive, much less know what sweet tastes like. A sigh brought his attention and thoughts back to the present. The Prince spoke in a soft voice. "I owe you an explanation."

"Nico?"

Silence. Then, "Percy Jackson was my personal bodyguard and servant. The Sultan thought that it would be easier for me to interact with someone of my own age, and Jackson was the best suitable choice that they could find. But…he was too suitable. I was of eight years about then, and spend two of my happier years with him. He taught me how to dress commonly, how to speak comfortably, how to swim, even. But it was through his easy-going and helpful personality that I had fallen into the clutches of what most people would call 'love.'

"Octavian, a couple of years older than Percy Jackson heard rumors of h-him, him taking advantage of me. The week before, I had kissed Jackson on the cheek. I was ten. Soon, Octavian made a whole situation out of it, claiming that he had overpowering and manipulated me and used me for his own benefit. He didn't do any of that. I didn't know what was going on until he got sent away and didn't come back. I assumed he was exiled, but the paper you showed me…" He shuttered memories of vivid green eyes still prominent. Yet now, his heart belonged to another. "I brought his death due to some careless actions."

Jason was quiet for a bit, unable to think of a correct way to respond. "I know it's not your fault, Nico, even though you blame yourself. But thank you, Nico," Jason said back. His eyes reflected the warm colors of the sunset that help to calm Nico down. It spoke of peace and tranquility, a serenity that could be obtained nowhere else but here, in Jason's arms. "Thank you for entrusting me with this."

Yet still, the Prince did not stop. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he had bottled up in four years with no one to take comfort in. And now, Jason was here, offering his heart. If the blonde had entered the Prince's life later, then the latter may not have known how to respond to his open affection: He would've been too bitter and cold at heart. Who would've thought that he, Nico di Angelo, would be confessing everything to someone  _who cares_ on the roof of the palace? He sucked in a deep breath. "He held my cheek and looked into my eyes," the teen's voice seemed smaller, weaker than before. Like it was draining him to tell the taller blonde. "He said that he was going on an adventure, and that he was going to come back. He promised." A silver tear ran down the teen's cheek, illuminated by the moonlight shining through the cracks of the clouds. "He promised to come back."

Jason took the smaller, colder hand into his. "Well, it's not your fault. He promised, to come back to you, but he never left you in the first place." Jason made a fist and held it over the small area of Nico's chest, where his heart was. Nico gripped the hand with his own, and curled up around it, not wanting to let go; there had been so many things that he had let go in his life, but Jason wasn't about to be another one of them. His silent sobs wracked his body. Nevertheless, Jason held him down on earth like an anchor, a constant presence that warmed his frozen heart. "You always thought about him. He kept his promise."

Still, the younger teen's shoulders shook with silent tears and the blonde tentatively held him in a tight embrace, not wanting to let go but afraid that the teen would melt and fall apart in his hands like an ice sculpture. They sat on the balcony, the cool night air contrasting Jason's body heat. The Sultan's son leaned back into the touch, appreciating another source of heat and comfort. His actions spoke for his words, and the two watched the calm moon rise. The path of tears created on the younger's face reflected the moonlight, but no new tears fell. It was something that fate would not have once again.

For the prince now had a companion.


End file.
